Tag Archives: Pickfair Studios Demolition

I’m writing to you about the proposed destruction of Pickfair Studios. I’m sure this isn’t the first e-mail that you’ve received on this topic, and it most likely won’t be the last either.

As you would be well aware by now, there is quite the uprising about the planned demolition. And rightly so. As an author and Hollywood historian, from my point of view, it is vital that these buildings not only stay, but are brought back to their former glory. Open them for tours. People WILL come. If the CIM Group need options for making these buildings viable, that’s one very good option.

The council should never have approved this needless demolition in the first place. Hollywood has a rich history, THIS is part of that history. A big part. So much of Hollywood’s past has already been lost to time. These buildings were the start of it all. They’ve survived. Please DON’T destroy them. Whatever permits are in place need to be halted pending further talks. You have the power to do it. This is not something that can be undone once the wrecking ball comes in an knocks it all down.

I urge you to do some further reading about the importance of these buildings, then and now, and the people who not only built them but walked those floors and worked within those walls so many years ago. And, most importantly listen to the people who desperately want these buildings to stay.

Progression is important, but this “out with the old and in with the new” mentality is not always best. If this demolition goes ahead, the signatures of the West Hollywood Council committee approving the destruction is solely responsible – period. Recognize the mistake and do an about face before it’s too late. You will be part of history and the hero to thousands if you do.

Don’t be responsible for future generations walking past the gate of “The Lot” and saying, “That’s where Pickfair Studios used to be”.

For me, as an author and Hollywood historian, this far down the line, so many great actors and actresses have passed away. Writing about their lives and getting interviews from contemporaries is difficult because almost everyone is gone.
But, the buildings remain. Buildings that have stood the test of time and have such a rich history. These buildings should have been land marked as historical years ago, thus making them untouchable to developers.

The West Hollywood council has APPROVED this demolition!

While there’s a list of people in the industryHEREwho have supported this cause, many actors of today ignore it. I don’t get it. If you’re an actor, this is YOUR history. These people built these studios and made it possible for YOU to do what YOU do today. It may sound cliché, but they paved the way for you to be an actor, negotiate your own contracts and earn far more than they ever did. This is the thanks they get?!

It’s NOW time to stand up for them…the way they stood up for YOUR future!!!